Inheritance: Brinsingr

By: David Ingrassia

Tears

It had been well over a month, maybe even two or three, since Carvahall. She couldn't remember. She hardly remembered what outside looked like, what the feel of the sun on her cheeks felt like, or the warmth of spring. No, she knew nothing but cold and darkness now. She was alone, all alone. The only thought keeping her alive was that she still had someone out there somewhere that loved her.

Does he even still remember me though? Is he even alive? Katrina thought sadly. I don't know anything of what happened outside, not since that night... How did those Ra'zac get to me?

Thoughts... they were her only companion anymore, although even those were beginning to fade, she was slowly but surely losing her grip on even her mind. The darkness was becoming all she knew. The cold was so constant that it had seeped into her very bones long ago, she was never warm, never happy. Here she was naked and alone in this cold dark hell.

Where are you Roran? Have you abandoned me? The very thought was more than she could bear and once again tears began falling. She constantly cried, her dirty face stained by the mud her tears made as they fell to the floor. Why me? Why did this happen to me? Is it because I didn't tell Daddy about Roran and I, are the gods that cruel?

Katrina had been taken to Helgrind after her own father led the Ra'zac to her that awful night in Carvahall months ago. She had been stripped and shackled in a dungeon cell deep within the caverns of hell-on-earth. What she doesn't know is that her father was responsible for all her suffering. Another thing she didn't know is that her husband-to-be and his brother had not abandoned her, far from it actually.

Roran had convinced an entire village hundreds of years old in the same place to up and leave using his pure will and some very fancy words. He had then lead them on a perilous journey to another country where they joined a group of rebels and helped in handing the empire its first ever defeat... all for her. In his eyes she was everything. Life did not exist without her and that love is what drove him to do the impossible time and time again.

Katrina was jolted in suprise when her cell door was swung open violently. For an instant, for it truely was only an instant, her hope skyrocketted at the thought that Roran would be the one entering, bloody hammer gripped tight in his hand and piercing gaze fixed on her. But as was said, her hope faded an instant later when a creature cloaked in all black came in.

"It ssseemsss that the man you love issss ssstill alive." The Ra'zac hissed in its horrible language, the smell of decay in its breath causeing bile to rise in Katrina's throat. "Tell ussss whatssss we need to know! Where isss he? Where isss your love? Hisss brother hasss sssined againsssst hisss majesssty Galbatorixxx."

"I've told you a thousand times! I don't know where he is!" She shouted, staring defiantly at the beetle-like face of her accusor. She was met with a vicious backhanded slap that cut her cheek and caused her inner lip to bleed. She cruelly spit the blood into the ra'zac's face.

"We ssssshalll sssseee how you feel after thisss, a little more cooperative maybe?" It hissed as it removed a small vile from its cloak and uncorked it. Katrina's eyes went wide with terror as she saw it. No god please... not again! A horrible shriek escaped her mouth as the sither oil sizzled on her bare skin. Again and again the ra'zac splashed the acid on the helpless girl, taking sick delight in seeing such suffering. Finally, when it knew she could take no more without dying it stopped. Leaving her trembling in agony and many new burns all along her once beautiful skin.

"I exssspect a different anssswer tomorrow you troublessssome wenchhh." It said as it slammed the door closed behind it, leaving Katrina alone in the cold darkness once again.

In another part of the caverns the horrible screams of agony reached the ears of another captive. Sloan, Katrina's father, heard them. "STOP!! Please stop! She's only a girl!! Please!" He pleaded to the darkness, hoping one of the ra'zac would have mercy.

What have I done? In my rage I betrayed me only daughter to these creatures of pure evil? What have I done? What would my wife think of me if she were alive? Oh god, what have I done? Gods, if you still have mercy, save her from this hell... i beg you. Send someone to save her... no, send Roran. What a worthless evil man I've become, may cruel death find me and may I burn in the pits of hell...

"KATRINA!! I'm sorry!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, tears streaming down his swollen face.

She was alone again, darkness consumed her mind and pain racked her body. Her perfect face marred by scars from the oil burns. She began to cry again, for the thousandth time that day her heart felt the pain of being alone. "Roran... my love... where are you? I need you..."

Roran woke up with a start. His whole body shook and he was drenched in a cold sweat. He had audibly heard Katrina's voice. She was hurt and in desperate need of him. That's it! We are going right now!

It was the dead of night but he didn't care. "Eragon!" He shouted, waking his brother. "Eragon! We have to go get Katrina now!"

"Huh... Roran, we'll go soon. Go to bed..." Eragon said, not fully awake and not realizing how enraged he made Roran. That is until he felt his boot smash into his gut.

"Eragon wake Saphira up, we go NOW!" Roran ordered, a fire burned within his eyes that even made Eragon feel uneasy. So Eragon decided it was alright that they leave now. When Roran told Eragon about how he dreampt of Katrina being hurt and alone in complete blackness, he understood his brother's concern.

Within a half hour Saphira was up, their bags wer packed, and their weapons at their sides. Saphira thrusted her powerful wings a few times and was off into the night sky.

Don't worry my love... I'm coming...